1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to elbows in duct systems such as for solid particle conveyors, and more particularly to fluidization elbows.
2. Description of Related Art
Fluidization conveyors allow for solid materials to be transferred through a chute from one point to another without the need for a traditional belt conveyor system. A belt conveyor would not be desired in certain cases due to the density of material, corrosive nature, or temperature of material desired to be transferred. Fluidization conveyors by contrast, eliminate the need for moving parts to be in contact with the material being transferred and instead use an airflow through the material to fluidize the material and allow for gravity to move the material through the conveyor system.
In a fluidization conveyor system, straight line runs from one point to another are not always possible to design due to pre-existing mechanical structures or the like. Therefore, one or more elbows are required to route the conveyor around a worksite.
Such conventional methods and systems have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is still a need in the art for a fluidization elbow that allows for improved directional and alignment of a fluidization conveyor system while reducing build up of material in the elbow to reduce wear of the fluidization conveyor. There also remains a need in the art for such a fluidization elbow that is easy to make and use. The present invention provides a solution for these problems.